As light slowly crept into the room through the windows, Aury was able to take in her surroundings. The table they were using to support the box was likely the altar. A moth-ridden, once-white cloth was draped across the top and reached almost to the floor.
A beautiful cross decorated the table, carved in dark wood and standing erect on a marble stand. Scott went to inspect the chairs facing the altar. He ran his hand across the grimy surface.
“These are beautiful. If they’ve been here since Mary’s day, they’re antiques,” he said.
“Look at this stained-glass window.”
Scott looked at the four-foot square pane leaning against the wall. “They must have been waiting to put this in one of the windows.”
When Aury shone her flashlight on it, the light picked up on the many colors pulling together a pastoral scene ending on a high hill. Even with the dirt, she could tell it was a work of art.
Aury shone the light into a corner of the room where she noticed a pile of junk. Upon closer inspection, she made out a large, square object covered with a horse blanket buried underneath old wood crates and extra pieces of lumber.
“Help me clear this off,” she said.
She and Scott removed the items stacked on top and pulled on the heavy blanket, letting it fall to the floor revealing a trunk with leather latches, deteriorated with age.
“Mary’s diary said they were going to move some of their valuables to hide them from passing soldiers. You don’t suppose this is it, do you?”
Scott lifted the lid. Lovingly packed inside were elegant dishes, silver candlesticks, small paintings, and a few hand-carved toys. More things were packed another layer underneath.
Aury picked up a wooden horse. “This was probably special to one of the kids, and they didn’t want anything to happen to it.”
“I guess if they decided they had to leave in a hurry, these were things they couldn’t take with them, but they didn’t want anyone else to have them either.”
Aury spread her arms to take in the room. “Scott, the things in this room are a treasure in themselves. I’ll bet you have enough here to fix up Eastover—not counting the stuff in the box!”
A bright smile broke across Scott’s face. He rushed to Aury and swept her off her feet, spinning her in circles.
Chapter 59
A Year Later
Aury watched as Scott floated between groups, a handshake here, a quick hug there. He looked happy and in his element.
The official opening day of Eastover’s new motel had gone brilliantly, with press and government representation to cut the ribbon. The advertising will serve him well, Aury thought.
It helped that Eastover was already booked to capacity between the new lodge, the manor house, and the campsites. Scott had been able to sell off enough items from the church to make the repairs while still keeping the more precious items in his family.
Ethan’s suggestion to hold the next Spencer family reunion in Virginia was met with an overwhelming response. Everyone wanted to see the place where the legend started.
This year, they called it the Spencer-Bell family reunion, tying together both sides of Pearl Townsend Bell Spencer’s family.
Scott slumped into a lawn chair at Aury’s side. “Who knew family could be so exhausting?”
She bumped him with her shoulder. “You love it.”
“I do.” His face was bright with a smile. “Thanks for coming out today. It’s probably not much fun for you with a bunch of strangers, but it’s going to be your family soon.” He picked up her hand and kissed it. “This wouldn’t have come together without you and Liza.” He looked around. “Where is she, by the way?”
Aury nodded in the direction of the dessert table where Gran was dishing out food. “She’s never met a stranger. Besides, she likes to help.”
“That’s obvious enough. Has she made any progress on your genealogy?”
This time, Aury laughed out loud. “She has transformed her living room into a work area. She puts stickies on everything and purchased a flip chart where she can make diagrams and then sticks those to the walls.”
“Why doesn’t she use the computer?”
“She still prefers old-school research. She looks things up on the computer but wants to see the results large enough to refer to when she needs it. I have a feeling it will be up to me to pull everything together when she’s finished.”
“There you are!” Ethan’s hearty voice reached them from behind.
“Come join us,” Aury offered with a wave.
Ethan took the seat next to Scott. “Now are you sorry you discovered family?”
Scott returned his smile. “Not at all. I love having everyone here. It’s been great.”
“This may become the go-to spot for our future reunions. Be careful what you wish for. Aury, show me this ring Joyce’s been going on about.”
Aury held up the platinum, filigree, engagement ring featuring a square-cut diamond. “Scott found it among the hidden treasure.”
Ethan took the time to admire the craftsmanship. “Congratulations, you two. I expect an invite to the wedding.”
“Absolutely,” Scott said. “Did I tell you the Virginia War Museum is going to display Mary’s jewelry and coins in a traveling exhibit? The American Civil War Center in Richmond is putting it together,” Scott said.
“That’s wonderful,” Ethan said.
“They may even do a video retelling the Townsend legend to go along with it.”
“You’re famous!”
“Honestly, I’d settle for the marketing and bookings that will hopefully come from the exhibit. But they’re offering me a stipend for the loan of the items.”
Two towhead youths about ten and eleven ran up to Scott’s chair. “Will you show us the haunted woods?”
Scott cut Aury a look as she stifled a grin.
“Of course. Why don’t we wait until after dinner though?” Scott replied.
“But before dark,” Aury added. “Scott doesn’t like going into the woods when it’s dark.”
The kids jumped up and down in excitement and ran off to tell the others.
“Thanks for revealing my weakness,” Scott said.
“Oh, they don’t see it as a weakness. To them, it will make the adventure that much more realistic.”
Scott rested his head on the back of the chair. “The restoration of the church is coming along nicely. It’ll be a while before it’s open to the public, but the kudzu is mostly gone. Treating it over the summer made the difference. It was easier to cut once the vines started dying.”
They sat watching the people, young and old, gathered in small groups chattering away. In the distance, someone played a guitar. Kids kicked a soccer ball in and around the lawn chairs.
“Take that ball out to the field,” Gran said from her station by the food. “We don’t need you tripping folks.”
Aury shook her head while Scott and Ethan laughed.
“She fits in well.” Ethan turned to address Scott and Aury directly. “Joyce and I would love it if you came to visit us in Ithaca. I think you’d enjoy the vineyard.”
“Definitely,” Scott replied before Aury had a chance to.
She cut him a look with raised eyebrows. “As long as we get a wine tasting out of it,” Aury said to Ethan.
“Are you kidding? I’m going to teach you how to prepare your own mix of grapes.”
“I’ll bring some bottles here to offer in the manor house.”
Ethan agreed. “I’m thinking you two might be able to help me with my own little mystery.”
Aury’s curiosity was piqued. “Do you have a hidden treasure too?”
“I wish. No, but there’s a rumor in town that the mixing room is haunted.”
“By someone who drowned in a vat?” Scott asked.
“That’s gross.” Aury gave his arm a light punch.
“We’re not sure, but I don’t think it was in a vat. Those are fairly new and enclosed. I’ll
tell you the whole story when you come up. I don’t want to scare you off just yet.”
“Sounds like a challenge. We’ll set something up,” Scott said.
Epilogue
Aury sat on the wooden porch surrounding the lodge. The music of the wildlife in the nearby woods was soothing. She thought about the last time she had sat here. Glancing at the sky, she saw no clouds and could easily even make out the faint glow of the moon in the evening twilight.
When the chilly breeze picked up, she wrapped her sweater tighter around her and rose from her seat. As she opened the door to the meeting space, the wave of sound rolled over her. Voices and laughter from the many quilters working diligently at their machines or gathered around a partially finished project to offer suggestions were music to her ears.
Stopping by the snack table, she grabbed a cookie, then on second thought, picked up another one. When she reached her workstation, she held out one of the cookies to her gran. The older woman looked up from her hand stitching.
“Oatmeal. My favorite,” Gran said.
“What are you working on?” Aury asked.
“I thought Scott would appreciate a reminder of this adventure.” Gran held up a label decorated with lilacs. It read:
In dedication to Eastover Retreat Center
I’ll give you concealed treasures and riches hidden in secret places, so that you’ll know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by name. - Isaiah 45:3
From the Colonial Piecemakers Quilt Guild September 2025
“It’s perfect!” Aury said.
“We have a ta-da!” Debbie announced, silencing the room.
Pat and Carla held the fabric in the upper corners and let it unfold to reach the floor.
The quilt was a beautiful combination of colors accentuated by the detailed applique of a building closely resembling the lodge in which they sat. A golden cross gleamed from above the front doors, and the yellow fabric used to form the windows glowed. Looking closely, Aury picked up on the dark clouds in the distance although the sky was clear in the foreground.
The greens and yellows around the bottom edges made Aury feel as if she were looking through the bushes at the lodge. As she stepped closer, she saw where the ladies had quilted leaf shapes over the area indicating the lawn leading up to the front door.
This representation perfectly captured the warmth and affection that was Eastover. Scott was going to love it.
########
If you have enjoyed Eastover Treasures, we would love a review on whatever platform you are most comfortable with.
https://books2read.com/EastoverTreasures
Acknowledgements
Nothing comes together without an excellent team, but a few deserve a special shout out.
Special thanks to Michael L. Blakey, Ph.D. National Endowment for the Humanities Professor of Anthropology, Africana Studies, and American Studies Director of the Institute for Historical Biology College of William & Mary
Janet Hopkins
Senior Laboratory Specialist
College of William & Mary
My Beta Readers, Brenda Barden,
Amy Voltaire, author of My Name is Erin and My Mom’s an Addict, and
Vikki Lynn Smith, author of the In the Woods children’s book series.
and
My wonderful editor who teaches me something new every time, Narielle Living, author of Signs of the South, Revenge of the Past, and Madness in Brewster Square
Free Quilt Pattern
During COVID-19, I spent a lot of time catching up on my quilting. Without the ability to get new fabric, I set a goal of making as many things as I could from scraps. After hundreds of masks, I switched to scrap quilts.
This is a fun one because the colors don’t need to match, you can make almost any size, and the outcome lends to an impressive 3D appearance.
The width of the strips doesn’t matter, although they should be parallel for the best effect.
Gather strips that are at least 4.5” long. They can vary, but I recommend putting the longest ones together if possible, to save time on your sewing.
Sew together on the long side, making a semi-straight edge on the top (you will trim to make it exact later). Sew as many strips as you want to work with at one time. You can add more later or sew multiple smaller groups of strips together to make them easier to handle.
Press all the seams the same way.
Turn and cut into 4.5” strips perpendicular to your sewing lines.
With whatever you have left over, you can start another row of strips.
When you have enough blocks for the size quilt you want, do the following:
Place two blocks together face-to-face with the strips going the SAME DIRECTION. That’s very important.
On the back of one, draw a line corner to corner. Sew 1/4” on either side of the line.
Cut on the line.
Press.
Trim to 4” squares, ensuring to line up your ruler so the center seam is exactly on the corners.
Lay your blocks using the pattern below. Every other row has the same pattern. You can start and stop at any size, and it doesn’t change the impact.
Press the seams for the rows in alternating directions to reduce the bulk (ie., row one, all to the right; row two, all to the left).
Sew the rows together, careful to nest the block seams. Press.
Add a solid thin border. Size will vary depending on the size of your quilt.
You can add another larger border (approx. twice the size as the thin) that’s a solid color or you can get creative with your scraps. Take what’s left of your strips sewn together and cut the width of your border to create railroad tracks. Or cut them at an angle for a different effect. Or you could even make crumb squares and turn it into a border.
Scrap quilts are also great for practicing quilting on your home machine.
Have fun!
About the Author
Dawn Brotherton, award-winning author, Air Force veteran and avid quilter, releases her first book in the Treasure Mystery series. Focusing on the search for hidden treasures, Brotherton introduces a new cozy genre.
When it comes to exceptional writing, she draws on her experience as a colonel retired from the US Air Force as well as a softball coach and Girl Scout leader. Her variety of interests has led to a variety of genres including mystery, romance, young adult fantasy, middle grade sports, picture books, and nonfiction.
Keep in touch with Dawn via the web:
Website:
https://www.dawnbrothertonauthor.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/DawnBrothertonAuthor
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/dawnbrothertonauthor/
Bookbub:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/dawn-brotherton
Other Books by Dawn Brotherton
Jackie Austin Mysteries
The Obsession (also available on audio)
Wind the Clock
Romance
Untimely Love
Lady Tigers Series
Trish’s Team (book 1)
Margie Makes a Difference (book 2)
Nicole’s New Friend (book 3)
Avery Appreciates True Friendship (book 4, written by Paige Ashley Brotherton)
Tammy Tries Baseball (book 5)
Nonfiction
Baseball/Softball Scorebook
The Road to Publishing
Contributing Author to
A-10s Over Kosovo
Water from Wellspring
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